"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The following summaries rely on Supreme Court decisions which have clarified and defined the meaning and scope of this amendment.

Contents

Religious Protections

While the phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the First Amendment, the concept (originally mentioned by Thomas Jefferson) is a logical extension of the establishment and free exercise clauses. True freedom of religion depends on government neutrality with regard to religion.

Establishment Clause

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion"

This clause may appear to simply prevent Congress from declaring a national religion. However, the Fourteenth Amendment extends these protections to all citizen, effectively prohibiting individual states from circumventing rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Additionally, the Supreme Court has determined that the scope of this clause implies that "Government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion." (Justice David Souter, for the majority in Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet)

Note: The word "respecting", in this clause, means "regarding" and not "showing respect for".

Exercise Clause

"...or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

Essentially, the rights of each individual to exercise their religious beliefs cannot be infringed. The government can intervene and prohibit certain religious practices if they conflict with other laws and such interference has a secular, religiously-neutral purpose. Generally, one individual's rights end where another's begin - ensuring that "free exercise" cannot be used as an excuse for violating the rights of others.

Speech, Press, Assembly and Petition

Free Speech

"or abridging the freedom of speech"

This clause may best be described as "freedom of expression" as various Supreme Court opinions have concluded that the spirit of the law cannot be limited to simple speech. As the law has also been expanded to cover acts of protest (like flag burning), art and pornography, it has also been subject to limitations.

The various limitations on free speech usually relate to other protections like copyright, truth in advertisement (protection from fraud), campaign finance, protection of innocents, slander, calls to violence and speech which endangers others (shouting "fire" in a crowded theater.

Free Press

" or of the press"

This clause extends free speech to the press and has also been used to protect the press from special legislation which would unfairly inhibit (or promote) particularly content.

Free Assembly and Petition

""or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The final clause of the First Amendment guarantees the rights to petition the government and peaceably assemble. While the two rights have been considered in tandem, they Supreme Court has also considered them independently. Hague v. CIO, for example, protects the right of the people to assemble for the "communication of views on national questions" and for "disseminating information."